Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto
Arc's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Golf's dream pairing - Woods and Mickelson - is on the course in the final round at Pebble Beach. Jason Sobel has hole-by-hole reports.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Euro Roundup: First-place Manchester City won 1-0 at Aston Villa on Sunday on Joleon Lescott's goal in the 63rd minute, maintaining its two-point lead over Manchester United in the Premier League.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
AP
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Notre Dame used an opportunistic defense to beat Michigan State.
Tom Zbikowski returned a fumble 75 yards for a touchdown, set up another score with an interception and the Fighting Irish forced six turnovers in their 31-24 victory over the Spartans on Saturday night.
The Irish (2-1) got three interceptions and recovered three fumbles in their second straight victory, bouncing back from a season-opening loss to Brigham Young.
Freshman Darius Walker, the hero last week in a 28-20 win over Michigan, had 98 yards on 26 carries.
Zbikowski’s two big plays in the first quarter got Notre Dame rolling against the Spartans (1-2).
His interception of Stephen Reaves’ pass led to a 13-yard scoring drive, capped by a fourth-down, 1-yard bootleg by quarterback Brady Quinn to tie the game at 7.
Zbikowski said he noticed on film that Reaves tended to lock in on his receivers.
“I just read the quarterback and made a play on it,” Zbikowski said of the interception.
Zbikowski struck again on the next possession. He read an option play and stripped running back Jason Teague of the ball, then rambled down the sideline for a 14-7 lead.
It fulfilled a prophecy by Notre Dame secondary coach Steven Wilks.
“(He) had been talking all week I was going to get a strip and do something with it,” Zbikowski said. “I kind of made him proud on that play. I just felt I could get it, went after it hard, and took off.”
Notre Dame coach Tyrone Willingham, a 1977 Michigan State graduate, is 2-1 against his alma mater as Notre Dame’s. He is 3-1 overall against the Spartans, including a win while at Stanford.
He said turnovers were the difference.
“It is something we talk about and work on every week,” Willingham said. “It’s just modern-day, defensive football. You have to create turnovers.”
Michigan State had dominated the recent series against the Irish, winning six of the previous seven games — including all five when Notre Dame was coached by Bob Davie.
Michigan State scored early in the first quarter on a blocked punt by Marshall Campbell. The punt was recovered in the end zone by Jerramy Scott to give Michigan State a 7-0 lead.
But the Spartans couldn’t keep the momentum, committing four first-half turnovers. Reaves, a freshman, was benched at halftime after throwing three interceptions. He was 7-for-20 for 66 yards.
Michigan State lost out on a scoring opportunity late in the fourth quarter when running back Jehuu Caulcrick — his team trailing 28-17 — fumbled going over the goal line. It was recovered in the end zone by Notre Dame safety Quentin Burrell for a touchback.
“When we come into the team meeting and look at the film, we’re going to be very ill,” Michigan State coach John L. Smith said. “We’re going to be sick when we look at it. The opportunities were there.”
Reaves’ replacement, sophomore Drew Stanton, led the Spartans to their only offensive touchdown with 9 seconds left in the game. Stanton ran in from 4 yards out.
Stanton finished 8-of-12 passing for 110 yards. He also rushed for 49 yards on eight carries.
Caulcrick was Michigan State’s leading rusher with 85 yards on 15 carries.
The Irish had enough on offense to secure the victory, running for 173 yards. Ryan Grant had 66 yards on 11 carries, including a 6-yard touchdown. Quinn was 11-of-24, passing for 215 yards, including a 35-yard TD pass to Matt Shelton.
DeAndra Cobb scored on an 89-yard kickoff return for the Spartans in the third quarter.
It took a while for the light bulb to go on, but when it did, Jonas Gray finally showed the talent many had expected from the blue-chip prospect from Detroit. In a recent interview, Gray, who is rehabbing an ACL injury to get ready for the NFL Scouting Combine, expressed the confidence and support he has for head coach Brian Kelly.
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Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
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Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.